Pentecost 9 08/06/06 Text: Ephesians 2:13-22 Title: Tear Down That Wall!
Pentecost 9
08/06/06
Text: Ephesians 2:13-22
Title: Tear Down That Wall!
Grace, mercy and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” With those words spoken at 2:25, on June 12, 1987, President Reagan, while standing on a balcony overlooking the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, challenged the Soviet Union to join the ranks of the free world. It was not long before the wall that had separated families and the German people for so long came down. It was a joyous time, one I will never forget, for when that wall came down I had never seen such joy before. You just wanted to stand up in your living room, shout hurrah.
Walls have many uses and in themselves are not bad, for walls hold up roofs, or support other structures. Prison walls protect those on the outside from those on the inside. Walls like the Great Wall of China were built to keep people out, and protect those on the inside. Walls have many uses and when used as fences, “create good neighbors” as Robert Frost wrote in his poem, “Mending Wall.”
Walls can be made of all kinds of things; some are works of beauty, while others are ugly. Walls serve many good purposes, while others are designed to separate and cause harm.
Not all walls can be seen or touched. Some walls, in fact the hardest walls to tear down are those that are built of the bricks of prejudice cemented together with ignorance. Those walls are the most destructive, especially for Christians, for they keep those united in Christ from realizing that they are one people. These walls need to be torn down, and totally destroyed. In fact they have no place in Christianity, for as our Scripture tells us, Christ in his death and resurrection tore down the wall that separates people from God.
In tearing down that wall, God created, as our text tells us, one people out of two. He took those on the outside, the pagans, and united them with God’s chosen people, the Jews, to make one new person, a forgiven and loved child of God.
Jews and Gentiles who had been separated for centuries by religion, culture, race, and language are reconciled, both of them, to himself. They are, as I mentioned earlier, not separate, but now one, both united in him into one people, the children of God.
Now when I am talking about the Jewish people beings God’s chosen people, I am not saying that they are automatically saved from damnation because they are God’s chosen people, as some believe and teach. They, like all others must accept Jesus as their Messiah to be united as one in Christ Jesus.
For as long as any of God’s chosen people, or for that matter anyone else, does not accept Jesus as their Savior they have put themselves outside of God’s grace. God wants his human creation to be united together through the blood of Christ, having one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one Spirit, and one Bible, all in one Holy Communion of saints. He wants that, but he will not force his will on anyone, and so walls of ignorance and pride separate those God wants to be one..
In tearing down that wall that separated the Jews and the Gentiles. He also tore down the walls that separate people today, and in doing so he builds walls, good solid walls, wonderful walls, that do not separate, but support and strengthen the people of God.
You might be saying to yourself, “Pastor that is all well and good. I know that Jesus tore down the wall that separated me from God. I know that there is no more hostility between God and me, for through Jesus’ death and resurrection that wall is gone forever. I know that, but it sure does not appear that the rest of the world knows it. In fact, I do not even have to look at the Middle-East to see it, all I have to do is look at my own family and see that walls of hostility still exist.”
That is true. We do not have to look beyond our own family to see the walls that have been built up over time. We do not want those walls there, for we know they are destructive and not God pleasing. We know that, but they are still there, big and ugly as ever.
Why are they there? It certainly cannot be our fault, for we love God, and we want to love those in our family. No sir, I did not build any of those walls. The problem is that, they, the wall builders just do not listen to me.
I know what is best for them, but they go their own way. If they would only change and do what I tell them to do there wouldn’t be any walls between us. “No sir, it is definitely not my fault”, we say, as we work to keep our side of the wall repaired and in good shape, maybe adding a brick here and there where it looks like the wall might be cracking.
I would be glad to tear the wall down that separates us if they would only start tearing the wall down on their side. Boy if they did that, if they showed a real interest in tearing down the wall that separates us, I would work with them until we just had a short wall, one that we could make into a fence, for after all, “Good fences make good neighbors.”
That is the way we are, but is that how God wants us to be? I can tell you right up front that he does not want us to be that way. He wants us to take those bricks from the walls that separate us and use them to build a building in which he lives, a building made up of all kinds and colors of bricks, cemented together with his love.
President Reagan with the words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” started a gradual process that ended up with the Berlin Wall being eventually torn down. Jesus Christ on the other hand when he said, “It is finished.” instantly tore down the wall that separated us from God, and in doing so tore down the walls that separates us from each other.
So why is it that we still have walls between us? Why is we are still separated from each other by race, education, class, gender, and even religion? Why is it that we have walls between our family members? Why is it that we still have walls between some people here at Saint John? Why is it that as fast as some walls are torn down, others are put up? Why is it?
I believe the answer is quite simple, although it is one that will not be liked by anyone, especially those that have walls in their lives. We still have walls that separate us because deep down in that black little corner of our minds, I do not think we are completely sure that Jesus, in his death and resurrection, completely tore down the walls that separate Christians from each other.
Oh, we know how things are suppose to be between us. We worship together. Together we confess our sins and receive the forgiveness Jesus graciously gives us. Together we come up to the Altar to receive Jesus’ very body and blood in his supper.
Yet so many things go wrong. Words are said in the congregation that are meant to hurt instead of build up, and walls are built. Families have disagreements and instead of working through them, as painful as it is, walls are built. Gossip is passed on in the workplace and walls go up.
The devil using our sinful flesh works hard to build these walls of hostility among us. His divide and conquer tactics destroy friendships, families, and congregations. He separates people from people, and in doing so separates people from God.
What about you? How are things with you and the Lord and with you and your fellow Christians? Do you believe that there are walls between you and others. Take another look at those walls, take a good look. Look, all there is, is rubble. What you thought was a wall is only rubble. All you need to do is take your eyes off the rubble so that you can see God and his gracious love for you and all people.
Christ has forgiven you all of your sins. He tore down, without any help from you, I might add, the wall that separated you from God and in doing so has given you peace. It is in that same forgiveness that the walls of hostility that divide us one from another have also been torn down. . We see that as we forgive each other, as God for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us.
Go in peace, for those walls of hostility that can separate us have been torn down. Amen
08/06/06
Text: Ephesians 2:13-22
Title: Tear Down That Wall!
Grace, mercy and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” With those words spoken at 2:25, on June 12, 1987, President Reagan, while standing on a balcony overlooking the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, challenged the Soviet Union to join the ranks of the free world. It was not long before the wall that had separated families and the German people for so long came down. It was a joyous time, one I will never forget, for when that wall came down I had never seen such joy before. You just wanted to stand up in your living room, shout hurrah.
Walls have many uses and in themselves are not bad, for walls hold up roofs, or support other structures. Prison walls protect those on the outside from those on the inside. Walls like the Great Wall of China were built to keep people out, and protect those on the inside. Walls have many uses and when used as fences, “create good neighbors” as Robert Frost wrote in his poem, “Mending Wall.”
Walls can be made of all kinds of things; some are works of beauty, while others are ugly. Walls serve many good purposes, while others are designed to separate and cause harm.
Not all walls can be seen or touched. Some walls, in fact the hardest walls to tear down are those that are built of the bricks of prejudice cemented together with ignorance. Those walls are the most destructive, especially for Christians, for they keep those united in Christ from realizing that they are one people. These walls need to be torn down, and totally destroyed. In fact they have no place in Christianity, for as our Scripture tells us, Christ in his death and resurrection tore down the wall that separates people from God.
In tearing down that wall, God created, as our text tells us, one people out of two. He took those on the outside, the pagans, and united them with God’s chosen people, the Jews, to make one new person, a forgiven and loved child of God.
Jews and Gentiles who had been separated for centuries by religion, culture, race, and language are reconciled, both of them, to himself. They are, as I mentioned earlier, not separate, but now one, both united in him into one people, the children of God.
Now when I am talking about the Jewish people beings God’s chosen people, I am not saying that they are automatically saved from damnation because they are God’s chosen people, as some believe and teach. They, like all others must accept Jesus as their Messiah to be united as one in Christ Jesus.
For as long as any of God’s chosen people, or for that matter anyone else, does not accept Jesus as their Savior they have put themselves outside of God’s grace. God wants his human creation to be united together through the blood of Christ, having one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one Spirit, and one Bible, all in one Holy Communion of saints. He wants that, but he will not force his will on anyone, and so walls of ignorance and pride separate those God wants to be one..
In tearing down that wall that separated the Jews and the Gentiles. He also tore down the walls that separate people today, and in doing so he builds walls, good solid walls, wonderful walls, that do not separate, but support and strengthen the people of God.
You might be saying to yourself, “Pastor that is all well and good. I know that Jesus tore down the wall that separated me from God. I know that there is no more hostility between God and me, for through Jesus’ death and resurrection that wall is gone forever. I know that, but it sure does not appear that the rest of the world knows it. In fact, I do not even have to look at the Middle-East to see it, all I have to do is look at my own family and see that walls of hostility still exist.”
That is true. We do not have to look beyond our own family to see the walls that have been built up over time. We do not want those walls there, for we know they are destructive and not God pleasing. We know that, but they are still there, big and ugly as ever.
Why are they there? It certainly cannot be our fault, for we love God, and we want to love those in our family. No sir, I did not build any of those walls. The problem is that, they, the wall builders just do not listen to me.
I know what is best for them, but they go their own way. If they would only change and do what I tell them to do there wouldn’t be any walls between us. “No sir, it is definitely not my fault”, we say, as we work to keep our side of the wall repaired and in good shape, maybe adding a brick here and there where it looks like the wall might be cracking.
I would be glad to tear the wall down that separates us if they would only start tearing the wall down on their side. Boy if they did that, if they showed a real interest in tearing down the wall that separates us, I would work with them until we just had a short wall, one that we could make into a fence, for after all, “Good fences make good neighbors.”
That is the way we are, but is that how God wants us to be? I can tell you right up front that he does not want us to be that way. He wants us to take those bricks from the walls that separate us and use them to build a building in which he lives, a building made up of all kinds and colors of bricks, cemented together with his love.
President Reagan with the words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” started a gradual process that ended up with the Berlin Wall being eventually torn down. Jesus Christ on the other hand when he said, “It is finished.” instantly tore down the wall that separated us from God, and in doing so tore down the walls that separates us from each other.
So why is it that we still have walls between us? Why is we are still separated from each other by race, education, class, gender, and even religion? Why is it that we have walls between our family members? Why is it that we still have walls between some people here at Saint John? Why is it that as fast as some walls are torn down, others are put up? Why is it?
I believe the answer is quite simple, although it is one that will not be liked by anyone, especially those that have walls in their lives. We still have walls that separate us because deep down in that black little corner of our minds, I do not think we are completely sure that Jesus, in his death and resurrection, completely tore down the walls that separate Christians from each other.
Oh, we know how things are suppose to be between us. We worship together. Together we confess our sins and receive the forgiveness Jesus graciously gives us. Together we come up to the Altar to receive Jesus’ very body and blood in his supper.
Yet so many things go wrong. Words are said in the congregation that are meant to hurt instead of build up, and walls are built. Families have disagreements and instead of working through them, as painful as it is, walls are built. Gossip is passed on in the workplace and walls go up.
The devil using our sinful flesh works hard to build these walls of hostility among us. His divide and conquer tactics destroy friendships, families, and congregations. He separates people from people, and in doing so separates people from God.
What about you? How are things with you and the Lord and with you and your fellow Christians? Do you believe that there are walls between you and others. Take another look at those walls, take a good look. Look, all there is, is rubble. What you thought was a wall is only rubble. All you need to do is take your eyes off the rubble so that you can see God and his gracious love for you and all people.
Christ has forgiven you all of your sins. He tore down, without any help from you, I might add, the wall that separated you from God and in doing so has given you peace. It is in that same forgiveness that the walls of hostility that divide us one from another have also been torn down. . We see that as we forgive each other, as God for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us.
Go in peace, for those walls of hostility that can separate us have been torn down. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 4:47 PM
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